Pelt stretcher



E. A. GRAHAM FELT sTREToHER Filed Feb. 17.' 1939 man f1/7 ATTORNEY :z lulnnluul fi', n

lNVENTOR olwargraham Feb. 18, 1941.

Patented Feb. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,231,903 PEM." STRETCHER EdwardArGraham, Sauk Rapids, Minn. Application February 17, 1939, serial No. 256,992

yf'z Claims. (c1. 14s-21) This invention relates to improvements `in stretching devices, especially off` the type used in stretching pelages. The common practice adopted by trappers is to employ boardsv of various sizes, cut to the approximate shape of a given pelt for the purposel of stretching the pelil thereover so as to keep the latter in thedesired shape during drying.-

The act of bringing the margins of the pelt 1.0' over the board involves some diiculty, especially in the matter o f holding the pelt in place. 'Ihe stretching function is not always accomplished in a satisfactory manner, this and other difficulties having led to the development of the 110 instant stretcher, the objects of which are as y follow:

' I' First, to provide a stretcher to take the place of the commonly used stretching board, theimproved stretcher being applicable as a unit to 2o the pelt or what is the same thing, is adapted to have the pelt attached to the unitary stretcher, the actual frame members of said stretcher being extensible in respect to. each other vso as to cause the spreading of thepelt in thelongitudinal and lateral directions.

Second, to provide a simply constructed and operable stretcher for spreading a pelt both lengthwise and sidewise at the same time, thus insuring a regularity of Stretching in the important directions as well as a uniformity of. ap-

pearance. v

Third, to provide a stretcher which is easily and effectively adjustable for various lengths of pelts, the stretching function beginning where the previous adjustment for pelt-length ended.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specicatiomreference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View of, the improved pelt stretcher showing the *frame in theI closed position.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the stretcher showing the frame in the spread, position.l

Figure 3 is a perspective View of a. pelt, illustrating the pelt stretcher in dotted lines, so as to show how the pelt is applied. i,

Figure 4 is a detailed perspectiveview of a portion of the stretcher showing how` the hind froot portions of the pelt are tied to the tail member and also showing how the tail member is adjusted for a variation` in the length ofthe pelt. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the head 55` member.y

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of the tail member.

Figure 7 is a cross section taken on the line 'l--T of Fig. 1.

Figure 8 is a cross section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

Figure 9 is a cross section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1.

The pelt stretcher is commonly designated I. The parts here shown constitute a unitary frame to which the pelt 2 (Fig. 3) is applied in the manner substantially as there shown.

Said frame consists of a pair of side members 3, 4, a head member 5 and a tail member 6. Each of the side members comprises a bar which, ordinarily, is made of wood. The head portion 'I of each bar is rounded at 8 on the outside so that when the two bars are assembled in frame formation, said portions roughly constitute a point. The tail portion 9 of each bar is rounded so as to avoid catching in the pelt and possibly causing an injury. All of the longitudinal edges of the :side members are rounded at I0 (Fig. 8) for the same purpose;

Each of the side members 3, 4, is slotted at II adjacent to the respective tail portion 9, recessed at I2 and again slotted at I3 in the respectivehead portion l. The walls of the slots II provide guides for the wings I4 of the tail member 6. The tips I5 of said wings project well beyond the side members 3, 4, and in the initial application of the pelt 2 provide places where the hind Aleg portions I6 of the pelt 2 are tied on as at I'I (Fig. 4).

The tail member E has a medial block I8 which is situated centrally of the wings I4. Said block has a smooth bore i9 which opens at one end into a rectangular cavity 2li. This cavity is adapted to loosely receive a nut 2 I, or' its equivalent,carried by the right hand threaded portion 22 of a medially situated screw shaft 23. This screw shaft has a winged head 2l for manual operation.

Said screw shaft also has a left hand threaded portion 25. Said portion extends through a smooth oversize hole 26 in a block 2l situated medially of the head 5, as in the instance of the block I3 in respect to the tail member 6. The head member includes wings 2B which are guided by the Walls of the slots I3. Said wings are shaped into wedge form (Fig. 5), to point 29 being desirably rounded so, as to avoid injury to the pelt.

The block 2,1 hastwo openings at 3U, although notnecessarily soin all instances, the advantage of the twin openings, however, lying in the fact that a pair of bridges 3|, 32, are given distinct identity. The previously mentioned smooth hole 26 is in the bridge 3l. The bridge 32 has a threaded hole 33, and it is with the threads of this hole that the thread portion 25 of the shaft 23 has screw engagement.

It is observed that the blocks i8 and 21 of the tail and head members appear as ribs. These blocks or ribs constitute spacers for the side members 3, 4, limiting the movement thereof toward each other. A pair of feed nuts 34, 35 have pairs of links 36, 31 pivoted at their ends respectively to the nuts and to the side members. The outer ends of the links extend into the slots Il and recesses l2 where they ar-e affixed by the pivot pins commonly designated 38.

The operation is readily understood..V The frame of the stretcher is initially closed as vin Fig. 1, or substantially so. The pelt 2 is then applied as shown in Fig. 3. The head portion of the pelt is fitted over the head member 5 while the hind foot portions are tied at I1 to the wings I4. The head portion of the pelt may be and usually is securedl to the head member 5 by a strong spring clip (not shown).

Preparatory to emplacing the pelt as described above, any necessary adjustment for the length of the pelt is made by manually sliding the tail member 6 back along the screw shaft, it being remembered that the bore I9 is smooth. Having made this preliminary adjustment'and accomplished the tying, the nut 2| is spun backwards (Fig. 4). The tail member 6 can be pulled back a little so as to enable fitting the nut 2l inthe cavity 20.

Turning of the screw shaft 23 now moves the pair of side members 3, 4, the head member 5 and tail member 6 simultaneously in the diverse directions illustrated by the dotted arrows in Fig. 2. This is accomplished by the simultaneous backward and forward advances of the respective feed nuts 35, 34 along the right and left hand threaded portions 22, 25 of said shaft. The pelt is thus nicely stretched and remains on the frame for the desired length of time.

Instead of making the side members 3, 4, as straight longitudinal bars, it is to be regarded as within the province of the invention to bow these in the longitudinal direction if bowing be required. Instead of making the pairs of links 36, 31 of uniform lengths it is also within the province of the invention to make one of the pairs longer than the other, for example toV make the pair 36 longer than the pair 31 so that when the shaft 23 is turned the tail end of the frame will expand farther than the head end.

I claim:

l. A unitary pelt stretcher adapted for insertion as a unit into a pelt and comprising a `frame having a sole pair of side members, a single head member and a single tail member, said frame members being adapted to have portions of a pelt attached thereto directly, and 4means for simultaneously moving each of said members away from the moving means in diverse directions at a uniform rate.

2. A pelt stretcher adapted for insertion as a unit into a pelt `and comprising a frame having a sole pair of side members, a head member and a tail member situated crosswise of the side members and being short as compared therewith, said frame members being adapted to have portionsv of a pelt attached thereto directly, and moving meanszsituated mediallyof all ofsaid vmembers and coupled to each one thereof, said means being operable to move said members simultaneously in diverse directions.

3. A pelt stretcher comprising a frame having a pair of longitudinal side members, a head member tted between and guided by one end of the side members, a tail member fitted between and guided by the other end of said side members, articulated connections between the side members, and a screw shaft situated medially and longitudinally of said side members, being in threaded engagement with the head and tail members and with said articulated connections to simultaneously extend all of the members in diverse directions upon turning of said screw shaft.

4. A pelt stretcher comprising a frame having a pair of longitudinal lside members, a head member slidably fitted between the side members at one end, a tail member slidably tted between the side membersv atthe other end, a pair of feed nuts situated medially of the side members, links pivotally connected at their ends to the feed nuts and to the side members, and a screw shaft having oppositely threaded portions respectively in screw connection with the head member and one of the feed nuts and with the tail member and the other one of the feed nuts, being turnable to simultaneously move said members in diverse directions.

5. A pelt stretcher comprising a frame having a pair of side members slotted at each end, a head member havingwings slidably guided by the slot walls at one end 0f the side members, a tail member having wings slidably guided by the slot walls at the other end of the side mem- -bers, a screw shaft having oppositely threaded portions respectively in screw connection with the head and tail members, and pairs of articulated connections between the side members and the screw shaft, the respective pairs of connections including feed nuts in screw connection with the respective portions of said shaft.

6. A pelt stretcher comprising a frame having a pair of side members slotted at each end, a head member having wings slidably guided by the slot walls at one end of the side members, a tail member having wings slidably guided by the slot walls at the other end of the side members, a screw shaft having oppositely threaded portions respectively in screw connection with the head and tail members, pairs of articulated connectlions between the side members and the screw shaft, the respective pairs of connections including feed nuts in screw connection'with the respective portions of said shaft, and means embodied in the coupling of the tail member to said moving means, constituting a loose coupling and permitting adjustment of the tail member along said moving means 'independently of the side andhead members. l

7. A pelt stretcher comprising a frame having a screw shaft with oppositely threaded portions, a head member in threaded engagement with one of said portions, a pair of side members slidablyguiding vsaid head member, a pair of articulated connectionsv between said side members and the oppositely threaded portions, a tail member slidably guided by the side members, having a smooth hole loosely containing the screw shaft and terminating in a cavity, and a nut screwed on the other one of said threaded portions, being adapted to looselyoccupy said cavity.

EDWARD A. GRAHAM. 

